Kamala Harris Teams Up with Oprah Winfrey for Michigan Event
The talk show megastar is set to share the stage with the vice president as she energizes her core supporters.
TroibNews 
Vice President Kamala Harris aims to energize her core supporters during her visit to the Detroit suburbs, and she has an influential ally joining her.
Oprah Winfrey, who recently endorsed Harris and spoke at the Democratic convention last month, will be the main attraction at the event alongside Harris on Thursday night in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The campaign seeks to engage a diverse group of voters in preparation for the upcoming November elections. The event will be livestreamed across various social media platforms.
The event, titled “Unite for America,” has invited numerous pro-Harris organizations in an effort to galvanize some of her earliest supporters. Current polls indicate a tightly contested race with Donald Trump, whose campaign has shown resilience despite a poor debate performance and focused attacks related to race and immigration. This gathering also highlights the many groups that rallied behind Harris as she secured her nomination and who are crucial as surrogates, canvassers, and fundraisers leading up to November.
Around 70 “unity groups” have been invited, including Win With Black Women, Win With Black Men, White Dudes for Harris, Black Women for Kamala, and Cat Ladies for Kamala, along with smaller, more niche groups such as Poets for Harris and Adventurers for Harris: Democracy & Dragons. The event will feature an intimate in-studio audience of a few hundred supporters. Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women, will also participate alongside Harris and Winfrey.
Campaign advisers report that nearly 200,000 people have signed up to view the livestream, with expectations that many more will tune in via platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitch. Organizers hope that by creating an event akin to the reach of Winfrey’s long-running talk show, they can connect with voters effectively.
The Farmington Hills campaign event is set to take place at The Meridian, a luxury venue accommodating over 900 guests, providing a much-needed celebratory moment amidst recent challenges faced by the Harris campaign.
Just hours prior to the event, a pro-Palestinian grassroots organization, Uncommitted National Movement, announced it would not endorse Harris. This group emphasized its opposition to Trump while refraining from backing third-party candidates. The movement, which began in Michigan and captured over 101,000 votes during the state's presidential primary, voiced concerns over U.S. policy regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and Harris's reluctance to commit to significant policy changes if elected.
Additionally, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with more than a million members and strong ties to the working-class demographic, also opted not to endorse a presidential candidate. This decision came shortly after Harris participated in a roundtable discussion at the group's Washington headquarters. The union cited a lack of consensus among its members, with internal polling indicating that about 60 percent of its rank-and-file members favored Trump after Biden's withdrawal from the race.
As Election Day approaches, questions remain regarding how Harris will bolster crucial segments of the Democratic base. While she continues to gain support among women and plans stops in Wisconsin and Georgia to emphasize abortion rights and the tragic case of a young mother who died due to lack of access to legal abortions, there are ongoing concerns regarding support from other demographics, particularly Black men, who have historically been the party's second-most loyal voting bloc. Recent polling shows that Republicans are making gains with Black men under 50.
“Black men represent a real opportunity for Harris and the Democrats, because it’s a constituency that they have traditionally won that’s drifting away, and they need to bring those folks back in the fold,” noted veteran Detroit-based Democratic strategist Adrian Hemond.
He added, “Detroit’s as good a place as any in Michigan to do it,” referencing the city as the “historic heart of the Black community” in the state. However, he also expressed skepticism that an event featuring Oprah would be sufficient to persuade undecided Black men regarding Harris's candidacy.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
Oprah Winfrey, who recently endorsed Harris and spoke at the Democratic convention last month, will be the main attraction at the event alongside Harris on Thursday night in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The campaign seeks to engage a diverse group of voters in preparation for the upcoming November elections. The event will be livestreamed across various social media platforms.
The event, titled “Unite for America,” has invited numerous pro-Harris organizations in an effort to galvanize some of her earliest supporters. Current polls indicate a tightly contested race with Donald Trump, whose campaign has shown resilience despite a poor debate performance and focused attacks related to race and immigration. This gathering also highlights the many groups that rallied behind Harris as she secured her nomination and who are crucial as surrogates, canvassers, and fundraisers leading up to November.
Around 70 “unity groups” have been invited, including Win With Black Women, Win With Black Men, White Dudes for Harris, Black Women for Kamala, and Cat Ladies for Kamala, along with smaller, more niche groups such as Poets for Harris and Adventurers for Harris: Democracy & Dragons. The event will feature an intimate in-studio audience of a few hundred supporters. Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women, will also participate alongside Harris and Winfrey.
Campaign advisers report that nearly 200,000 people have signed up to view the livestream, with expectations that many more will tune in via platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitch. Organizers hope that by creating an event akin to the reach of Winfrey’s long-running talk show, they can connect with voters effectively.
The Farmington Hills campaign event is set to take place at The Meridian, a luxury venue accommodating over 900 guests, providing a much-needed celebratory moment amidst recent challenges faced by the Harris campaign.
Just hours prior to the event, a pro-Palestinian grassroots organization, Uncommitted National Movement, announced it would not endorse Harris. This group emphasized its opposition to Trump while refraining from backing third-party candidates. The movement, which began in Michigan and captured over 101,000 votes during the state's presidential primary, voiced concerns over U.S. policy regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and Harris's reluctance to commit to significant policy changes if elected.
Additionally, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with more than a million members and strong ties to the working-class demographic, also opted not to endorse a presidential candidate. This decision came shortly after Harris participated in a roundtable discussion at the group's Washington headquarters. The union cited a lack of consensus among its members, with internal polling indicating that about 60 percent of its rank-and-file members favored Trump after Biden's withdrawal from the race.
As Election Day approaches, questions remain regarding how Harris will bolster crucial segments of the Democratic base. While she continues to gain support among women and plans stops in Wisconsin and Georgia to emphasize abortion rights and the tragic case of a young mother who died due to lack of access to legal abortions, there are ongoing concerns regarding support from other demographics, particularly Black men, who have historically been the party's second-most loyal voting bloc. Recent polling shows that Republicans are making gains with Black men under 50.
“Black men represent a real opportunity for Harris and the Democrats, because it’s a constituency that they have traditionally won that’s drifting away, and they need to bring those folks back in the fold,” noted veteran Detroit-based Democratic strategist Adrian Hemond.
He added, “Detroit’s as good a place as any in Michigan to do it,” referencing the city as the “historic heart of the Black community” in the state. However, he also expressed skepticism that an event featuring Oprah would be sufficient to persuade undecided Black men regarding Harris's candidacy.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
